


As long as you want me

by best_of_me



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Pining, Princess!Waverly, Romance, Royalty, Slow Burn, guard!Nicole, royal au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22019944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/best_of_me/pseuds/best_of_me
Summary: As the youngest princess of the kingdom of Wisteria, Waverly Earp lived an easygoing life. Until her whole world turns upside down when the kingdom is under attack. Also because Nicole Haught is assigned as her personal guard.(Tags will be updated with each chapter)
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Xavier Dolls/Wynonna Earp
Comments: 23
Kudos: 84





	1. Wait by the River

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first full length fic! I have big plans for this and I'm so excited!! Starts off slow but drama and twists are a-coming. Enjoy the first chapter!! :)
> 
> Chapter title is from the song Wait by the River by Lord Huron.

WAVERLY POV

As a princess of a blossoming kingdom, there is nothing Waverly lacked. The finest of dresses, plentiful food, an endless supply of books of any and every genre. However, there was one thing she was without: a family. Sure, she has her father, the King, and Willa, the eldest sister, but the only one who really cared about her was Wynonna.

When they were younger, Wynonna would protect her from Willa’s evil games, like the time she put maggots in Waverly’s food, or shattered a pendant their mother left her. When Waverly would try to tell her father of the malevolent pranks Willa would play, he would just send her off to her lessons without a second glance. 

But trivial pranks were not what hurt her the most. Since Willa was the oldest, she would take the throne once her father passed. Or, rather, her future husband would. Her fate was to be a ruler. Wynonna’s fate was similar, since she was engaged to Ambassador Doc Holliday of the Western Isles and would be joint ambassadors of both kingdoms once they were wed. 

Waverly wasn’t jealous of the throne, or of titles. All she wanted was a destiny to do greater things than to be a pawn in her father’s game. As the youngest, with little to no possibility of ever ruling, her only duty to the throne was to wed a stranger as a peace treaty, as a pawn. And that’s all her "family" treated her as. And that was what hurt Waverly the most.

—

The kingdom of Wisteria was thriving, and relations between the surrounding kingdoms were tense, but steady. The area was a realm of imports and trade. Many people would come to Wisteria for the finest goods which come from all over the world. However, with the kingdom being a land of trade, many illegal items were being bartered: drugs, explosives, and even women. This was the main concern in Wisteria’s politics. Which was what today’s urgent meeting was about, unbeknownst to Waverly.

 _Today’s the day_ , Waverly thought, as she tied her long hair into a bun. _Today’s the day I’m going to be married off and never see this kingdom ever again._ Placing her hands on the sides of her dressing table, she rose from her chair and lifted her chin. She gazed in the mirror and gave her refection a nod. _No, it sure as hell isn’t going to happen today._

Waverly’s soft footsteps flew down the stairs and across the hall to the Grand Hall, where her father had sent a page to fetch her. She was concerned; normally her father would just send a maid to her quarters to inform her of her trivial duties for the day, but now he gathered the whole family. Something was wrong. 

“The Princess Waverly of Wisteria,” the herald announced to the room as she walked across the threshold of the Grand Hall.

Gathering her skirts in hand, Waverly hurried to her seat at the table anxiously, for she wanted to start this meeting quickly.

“Hey,” Wynonna poked her in the arm. “Why’ve you got a knot in your britches today? You’re late.”

When Waverly responded with a grim expression, Wynonna sighed. “What’s wrong baby girl?”

“Am I getting betrothed?”

“What? Wave, you know I wouldn’t let that sack of sh-“ Waverly elbowed her in the ribs. “err, um, Father sell you off like that. You know I’ve promised.”

Sighing, Waverly relaxed a little at that. “Then what’s the occasion? The last time Father gathered us here it was when he told us about our mother.” She glanced at her father. With a stern expression, he returned her gaze. “Uh oh.”

Her father pounded the table with his fist as a call to order. “Now that everyone has arrived,” he boomed, glaring in Waverly’s direction, “I have an announcement to make.”

Everyone at the table, the royal family and a few important officials, all laid eyes on the King. Waverly spared a quick look towards Willa, who gazed down at her place at the table with no emotion. Noticing her staring, Willa’s eyes darted up and met her stare with a scowl. Wynonna’s hand grasped Waverly’s as she noticed the tension.

“As you know, tensions between the lands have been quite,” he paused, “ _unstable_ lately, and we have reason to believe actions against our kingdom may become malevolent. To avoid harm coming to any of you, our royal guard will be taking the responsibility of nightly surveillance of the castle and the woods to the east. In addition, a member of the guard will be assigned to each of you in order to ensure your safety. These guards must not leave your side unless important matters arise. Understood?”

The table muttered amongst themselves in hesitation before the king struck his fist on the table once more.

“I _said_ , do you understand?”

A round of “Yes, my King” reverberated the room and a deathly silence followed. Just how terrible was this threat that extreme measures must be taken?

“Good, that is all. You are dismissed.” the King rose from his seat and began communing with the officials. 

“But Father!”

Waverly watched as Willa fought her way through dukes and earls and made her way over to their father. Wynonna followed Waverly’s line of sight.

“Wonder what that’s about. I mean, it’s not really a big deal, right?”

The room gasped as the King backhanded Willa’s cheek. “I said that’s final!”

Everyone watched as Willa hoisted her shoulders, lifted her chin, and quietly left the room. Waverly and Wynonna nodded at each other and followed Willa down the hall.

“Willa! Willa, what’s wrong?” Wynonna asked earnestly, and with a care towards Willa that Waverly lacked. It made the young Earp’s heart pang a little bit.

They hustled down the corridor and caught up with Willa, who was collecting her tears. She turned around and glared down at Waverly.

“I know you did this. You alerted the guards about that peasant wandering the garden last week. Who knows, you could have been lying all along,” Willa spit out with flames in her eyes, the hair around her face tousled by her harsh breaths. Waverly’s eyes prickled.

This wasn’t the first time Willa had accused Waverly of being a double agent. She would always bring it up when they were in earshot of the King, which set an even greater rift between them. It was a wall that was being built brick by brick, and it was starting to wear Waverly down. 

Wynnona cut in before Waverly could get a tearful word out, “Listen, Willa. You know Waverly had nothing to do with this, and besides, why the hell are you so worked up about extra security anyway? It’s for your own good.”

Willa stared daggers into Wynonna and spared another dagger in Waverly’s direction. “I’m the crown princess, it’s not like you’d understand the future one has to carry as next in line.” And with that, Willa stalked away with her head held high, but a great weight of sorrow on her shoulders.

Wynonna threw her hands up in exaggeration and turned back towards Waverly. “Why does she act like that’s the sickest burn? It’s not like either of us want the crown anyway.” 

Noticing that Waverly wasn’t laughing, she turned around.

“Waverly, listen.” her sister grabs Waverly’s shoulders and locks her eyes with hers, sighing, “I don’t know why she’s so angry now but it’s not at you, she’s just redirecting her anger at you. It’s all gonna be alright, baby girl, she’ll get over it.”

And with that, Wynonna kissed her forehead and led her down the corridor towards their chambers to turn in for the night.

—

After a good night’s sleep, Waverly felt refreshed. She kicked off her silk sheets and stretched her arms above her head. Last night she’d come to terms with the fact that Wynonna was right, and Willa would get over her vendetta eventually. She just had to be the bigger person until that day. But for now, she’d be strong.

Waverly jumped out of bed and with a spring in her step, got dressed and gathered her belongings. She slipped on a casual dress and tied her hair up in a bun with a ribbon. If her father caught her dressed so casually like this, she’d be in deep trouble. But it’s not like he’d ever notice.

But for today, she’d use this to her advantage, as she had quite often being doing. Working down at the greenhouse gave her peace; it gave her somewhere to get away from politics and formalities at the castle. This brought a smile to her face.

Throwing her things into the knapsack, she heard a knock on the door.

“Your Highness, your breakfast is read-“ Opening the door, Waverly startled the maid and the poor girl fell down.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! Here, let me help you,” Waverly giggled as she helped the maid stand. 

“Oh no, it was my fault,” the maid said in horror as she bowed, “I’m so sorry, Your Highness.”

“It’s okay, I promise,” Waverly beamed as she drew the strap of her knapsack over her shoulder, making her way down the hallway.

She threw her head over the shoulder as she rounded the corner. “And as for the breakfast, can you send it down to the greenhouse? I have a good feeling about today.”

—

Down in the greenhouse, Gus was packing up herbs, vegetables, and flowers in cloth bags which were scattered across the floor. Waverly strolled in, closing the door behind her. 

“Good morning, Waverly,” Gus cheerfully greeted the princess, wiping sweat from her forehead. It seemed she’d been out here for quite a while already.

“Gus, have you been out here all night?” Waverly wetted a towel from the near empty bucket of water and wiped off the dirt from Gus’s face and hands. “You need to rest.”

“I know, but there’s an important delivery tonight as you know, and there’s just so much work to do.”

Waverly kicked off her shoes and hopped up on one of the tables next to Gus’s work station. “Okay, how can I help?”

Gus finished packing the bag she was working on and pulled out a list of tasks she always kept in one of her pockets.

“We need to pack about thirty more bags of each, and I think it’ll be enough for now. Before we get started could you go fill these buckets back up?”

The princess hopped down from her perch and grabbed the metal handles, flashing Gus a smile. “Of course, be back in a bit.”

NICOLE POV

Down by the river that runs through the edge of the royal garden, Nicole was skipping stones. She knew it wasn’t as effective with such a current, but she had a lot going on in her head. 

_Member of the Royal Guard._

She exhaled deeply and ran a hand through her hair. She let her hair down today, because this would be the last day of freedom. Well, not exactly.

Nicole had initially wanted to be a tradesman when she was young. But while being bullied in school for protecting her younger brother, she wanted to defend herself. That led her to enroll into a school for swordsmanship, and eventually, earning top of her class. She thrived in it. 

Ever since she finished school she had instantly been promoted to royal guard, and a lot had been running through her mind. She had wanted to be a tradesman so she could travel all over the world, and now she was stuck. She loved her job and was very thankful she had been scouted, but she was trapped.

And now they had given her this assignment. _Babysitting_. Top of her class and she was _babysitting_. How humiliating. 

She stalked along the river and thought of her new duties. She’d been briefed yesterday. In this new job, she’d be assigned to a member of the royal family tomorrow and accompany them wherever they went, whenever they wanted to. Which is maybe more responsibility than she wanted to handle. She’d pledged her life to the crown and this kingdom will always be her home, but after this job was done, she was thinking she’d just resign and get the hell out of town.

But how long would this job take? A year? Twenty years?

Frustrated, Nicole kicked at the rocks by her feet and a particularly large rock thumped into the water. 

“Oh!” Nicole heard a squeal a little ways down the river. Rushing over, Nicole found a woman. And judging by her clothes and stature, she had just spilled a bucket of water on herself.

Nicole ran over to help. “Oh, I’m so sorry, did I startle you?”

The most beautiful eyes returned her concerned gaze. 

She was striking.

By the looks of her, she was a maiden— maybe a townsperson— in casual woolen clothing and her hair strung up with a ribbon. She also wore no shoes. “Oh, no it’s fine. I’m just clumsy and tipped this over. It splashed on me and it’s fine, this will dry anyway, and it’s just wool and—“ she stuttered out.

“If I may,” Nicole bent down and used her handkerchief she kept in her pocket to try to absorb some of the water that had spilled on the girl. 

The girl nodded and gave her a sweet smile. Nicole was suddenly breathless.

 _Help me_ , she thought.

She fumbled the handkerchief across the girl’s lap and up the her waist, trying her best to be helpful in her panic. “I’m sorry this isn’t very helpful,” Nicole made out with a chuckle as she now patted the girl’s chest.

_Oh god, this is awkward._

The brunette girl giggled. “It’s okay, there are some towels in the greenhouse. I’ll just clean up there.”

Nicole stumbled back and used a hand to help herself off the ground. She offered one to the girl, who took it with the same sweet smile as before. After helping her up, the girl retrieved her buckets and began filling them with water. “May I help?”

She glanced back, “Oh, no. It’s fine, I’m stronger than I look.”

And that she was. The buckets must have weighed twice her weight combined, but she carried them with ease.

“I, uh, would feel bad if I just let you carry these by yourself. Please, let me help.” Nicole begged earnestly. 

Complying, the girl hefted a bucket in Nicole’s direction and waved towards the greenhouse. “It’s just up here, thank you.” If Nicole squinted, she could make out a hint of blush across the girl’s cheeks.

Nicole nodded as Waverly led the way, her cheeks turning crimson in response.

—

After trudging their way up the hill to the greenhouse, the girl turned. 

“Thank you so much, um—“

“Nicole.”

“Nicole,” the girl echoed, looking deeply into Nicole’s eyes. 

The girl’s eyes were a brilliant hazel.

A voice rose from inside the greenhouse. “If you don’t hurry up with that water, we won’t be able to—“ a woman had opened the door, noticing Nicole. “Oh, hello there.”

The woman and the brunette exchanged concerned looks. Nicole placed the bucket of water on the grass next to the greenhouse to give them privacy. 

“Don’t worry, Gus, this is Nicole. She was very nice and helped me carry the water back up from the river,” the girl gesturing to Nicole. “Nicole, this is Gus.”

“Thank you very much for helping, young lady.” Gus gave Nicole a smile and a firm handshake. She then grabbed a handle of the bucket with both hands, trudging it back inside.

“Of course, you’re welcome.” Nicole stuck her thumb towards the town. “I’d love to stay and help but I’d better get going. I kind of have a lot on my plate at the moment.”

The girl gave one of her biggest smiles. “Oh, yeah sure. Thank you so much for helping.”

Nicole waved and began walking towards town, turning away before the girl could see the dimpled smile threatening to spill across her face.


	2. Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole finally meets her assignment, but Waverly Earp was a lot more than she bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was actually incredibly fun to write! Hope you enjoy :)
> 
> Chapter title: Dawn by Needle&Gem

WAVERLY POV

Waverly spent the rest of the morning thinking about Nicole. The way she looked at her so earnestly, and without preconceived opinions. _How red and vibrant her hair is._ And her affectionate smile. She wanted to be her friend so badly.

“Here you go, your last bag for the day. I’ll do the rest.” Gus handed her a rag to wipe her face with since she’d smeared dirt on across her forehead.

Filling the last bag full of herbs, Waverly’s mind wandered.

She thought of how differently things would be is she wasn’t royalty; how she could make friends with anyone, like Nicole, and not worry about them taking advantage of her position in the palace. How she could escape just a little longer into her own perfect world.

She thought of her family. Would her relationship with her father be different? Or Willa? She’d finally get to explore outside the boundaries of the kingdom. But she couldn’t really change who she was, could she?

These questions absorbed her thoughts, allowing her to finish her bag as if no time had passed.

After tying the ends of the bag together, Waverly wiped her hands on her skirts and stood up. “Alright, Gus, I’m going to head back to the castle. See you tomorrow tonight?”

Gus looked up from her work and nodded. “Sure, Waverly. But don’t be late, okay? It’s a big order.”

Waverly grabbed her bag and shoes and stepped outside the greenhouse. Hearing the door open behind her, she turned around.

“And Waverly? Thanks for this. Thanks for helping out with everything.”

Waverly flashed her a smile and meandered back the castle, taking her time to reflect, for she was in no hurry.

NICOLE POV

That night, Nicole was stationed at her regular dining table next to her fellow guards. She’d made a few friends but they were already given their assignments, so she was sat between two random guards who were gossiping about who they thought they would be assigned to.

Nicole took a long sip of beer out of her mug and wiped her mouth. She had spent the day accepting her new reality and enjoyed her last few hours of downtime. She wasn’t dreading the job, per say; she just hoped her assignment wasn’t unbearable.

Stalking around the room, Randy Nedley, the head of the royal guard, called the knights to attention. He was an older man but was well respected and experienced at his job.

“Today, you will get your assignments to an important official in this castle,” Nedley said with his hands behind his back, “and under no circumstances must you ever leave their side. Don’t let this information spread, but there’s been some serious assassination and infiltration threats against this kingdom, so don’t take this job lightly.”

He began calling out names and handing out files, but Nicole was stuck. _Assassination. Infiltration._ She knew it had to be serious enough to elicit personal protection, but these were serious problems.

Nedley threw a file down in front of Nicole that had her name on it.

He spoke up, eyeing Nicole. “In each of these files, you’ll get the gist of your assignment and their behavior patterns. If anyone spots anything out of the ordinary, you report it to me instantly.”

Holding the file labeled with her name, Nicole let out a breath and nodded before flipping it open. 

_[Princess Waverly of Wisteria]_

It contained a short description of the princess and her position in the castle, along with an extra note at the bottom of the page.

_[suspicion of sneaking out of the castle, keep in sight at all times, see Nedley]_

_Oh great, a troublemaker._

Nicole planted her elbows on the table and planted her head in her hands. “Tomorrow your duties begin, so be ready to go as soon as the sun rises.”

—

Nicole stood before Nedley in the weapons room with her arms crossed, “After all of my training, all of the hours I’ve spent preparing to be on the front lines, and you’ve assigned me to _princess duty?_ ” she asked sarcastically.

“Now you listen, Haught.” Nedley rests his hands on his belt. “I’ve been watching you since you first started training. You know other kingdoms wanted to recruit you, as far as the western sea? I worked my ass off to stick you right in the royal guard after you finished training because I knew you were the best of the best. You know that?”

Nicole sighed. “Yeah.”

Nedley loosened his stance a bit and softened his voice.

“Then you know I’d only put my best people on the best assignments. With all that’s happening in this kingdom right now we need all the talent we have. And trust me,” Nedley tossed Waverly’s full file on the table, “we’re gonna need it.”

—

Back at the castle the next day, and after a restless night for Nicole, the day was finally here. All guards would meet their new assignments, and from that day forward, would be stuck to their side for the foreseeable future. _Kinda depressing when you put it that way_ , Nicole thought.

Nicole stood in line waiting for the princess to arrive, fidgeting with the sleeve of her uniform. Nearly all of the other guards had met their assignments and she was next.

After waiting for what felt like ages, a page arrived with his hands stiffly held behind his back and bowed. “Princess Waverly Earp of Wisteria.”

 _Finally_ , Nicole thought. 

The redhead stepped forward and signed that she was the one assigned to Waverly. Focusing her attention in the direction of the page, she stopped. A beautiful woman dressed in an elegant gown, simple for everyday activities but dignified enough to rule a kingdom. A genuine princess indeed. But as her focus settled on her face, because it was all too familiar.

Those eyes.

 _Hazel_.

WAVERLY POV

Waverly blushed as she walked over to where Nicole was standing. “Well if it isn’t the savior herself.” 

The princess stopped a few feet in front of Nicole, who had one arm plastered to her forehead. “I-I had no idea you were a _princess_?”

Intertwining her fingers and playing with them, Waverly giggled. “Yeah, well I’m not really your stereotypical princess I guess.”

Waverly looked up from her intertwined fingers and saw Nicole staring at her with a mixture of emotions on her face; Waverly was unsure of what she was thinking. “Is everything okay?”

NICOLE POV

_Oh, god I touched her boob. I touched a_ princess’s _boob. Oh, god._

_But the files._

WAVERLY POV

“Nicole?”

Nicole seemed to shake out of it. “Oh, I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I said are you okay?” Waverly placed a hand on Nicole’s arm. 

“Yeah, I mean I guess I’m a little shocked?”

Waverly felt dejected. Had she been expecting someone better?

Noticing Waverly’s expression, she added “I-I mean not, like, in a bad way. You seem lovely.”

Waverly blushed, the hand still on Nicole’s arm seeming heavy all of the sudden. She took it back and played with the bracelet around her wrist. When she looked up, Nicole was looking at her with warm brown eyes. 

Nicole coughed and broke the silence.

“So maybe you should show me where your chambers are? And maybe walk me through your day?”

Waverly scoffed. “You know you don’t really have to do this, I think all of this is kind of silly."

“It’s my duty, Your Highness, and orders from the King are top priority. So it looks like I’m sticking by your side for the time being.” Nicole gave her a dimpled smile.

_Wow._

Nicole. Her guard. What were the chances.

Nicole broke Waverly out of her stupor. “Well, what’s your average day like?” 

The princess grabbed her new guard’s hand.

“Let me show you.”

NICOLE POV

Waverly led Nicole down the hallways of the castle, showing her the different rooms they passed by. Nicole had already been given a tour and knew where all of these rooms were but didn’t have the heart to tell Waverly.

Once they stopped at Waverly’s door, the princess began her official tour. “So, this is my room.” Waverly gestured dramatically at the door. “And my maid will bring me a list of things to do. Normally it isn’t long at all, all kind of tedious tasks for me to pretend to ‘help out’ without getting in the way.”

Nicole grimaced. “‘Help out?’ You’re like, a princess right? I just thought—”

Waverly motioned for her to follow and began walking down the hall following her normal schedule, which was meant the office was next. “Yeah, but mostly Willa or Wynonna takes care of it first. I’m just stuck with their busy work when they have better things to do.”

Nicole made a sound of acknowledgement, following Waverly through the sunlit hall. The sound of Waverly’s shoes clicking against the floor and the way her dress grazed across the stone lulled Nicole into a sort of peace. Her shoulders relaxed and she picked one of the many questions flowing through her mind.

“Do you like it? The work?”

Waverly stopped and turned to look at Nicole, her hair flipping over her shoulder. Her face held a hurt emotion, so Nicole prompted. “What’s wrong? Did I say something?”

Waverly tried and failed at forming words, but finally the right words spewed out.

“No one has ever asked me that.”

They stood in a comfortable silence, neither speaking their thoughts. Waverly opened the door to the small office and invited Nicole inside. Inside the office was a full sized desk with a stack of papers in the center. Against the wall held a bookshelf filled to the brim with books, some piling up on top of the organized rows, and small knickknacks were being used as bookends. 

Nicole began scanning the spines. “So you’re a reader, huh?”

Waverly stood against the side of the door frame and watched which titles Nicole focused on. “It’s probably one of the only things I’m thankful for being royal for. Endless books, endless stories. It’s a way to escape, you know.” 

“Yeah, I can get that.”

Nicole had picked up one of Waverly’s more worn books, a story she had devoured in one sitting more than once. “So you like to read, too?”

“When I have the time. I could read for hours.”

This made Waverly perk up and grabbed Nicole by the hand. “Then you’re going to love this.”

WAVERLY POV

Waverly led Nicole up the spiral staircase into the family’s private library and walked her through the opening with a smirk. Nicole drew back in awe.

“ _Oh my god_.”

The library was stacked full of books, shelves lining the whole right wall and some standalone shelves perpendicular to them, making large cubicles. To the left were a few tables and massive windows, providing enough natural light to illuminate the entire castle. Waverly rustled her skirts and sat on the ledge of one of the windows, where there were cushions placed to make a little reading nook. She watched Nicole wander around the room. “This is _incredible_.”

Waverly laughed and pulled a lock of hair behind her ears. “Wait until you see the library downstairs.”

“I’ve seen that one but this. This is quite a private library.” Nicole stood flabbergasted.

“Nicole, we _are_ the royal family.” Waverly giggled.

Nicole stood shocked and her shoulders shot up into proper posture. “Oh, that’s right, isn’t it.” Color began showing on her cheeks.

“I meant to show you the garden next, since that’s where I would be headed after I finish my duties. But I couldn’t resist showing this to you.”

Nicole gave a genuine smile. “Thank you, for showing me this.”

Waverly smiled and motioned towards the door. 

“One more stop.”

They began walking down towards the garden, passing many other officials with their personal guards in tow. Each giving a tour that was probably far less interesting than Waverly’s.

Walking out of the castle door, Waverly heard a voice calling her name up ahead. 

Wynonna was shouting with a giggle rising in her throat. “Waves! There you are. C’mere, I want you to meet someone.”

When they reached the older Earp and her guard, Wynonna gripped her knees as if she were out of breath. 

“Listen—y-you’ve gotta listen to this.” Wynonna choked out between laughs.

The guard beside her stood with his hands clasped behind his back and an annoyed look on his face. He was a handsome man with dark skin, and a mark on his shoulder indicating a higher ranking guard. Duly needed to be on Wynonna’s case 24/7.

“Hello, Your Grace, it is nice to meet you.” The guard took Waverly’s extended hand and kissed it, giving her a bow. Waverly flashed a smiled in response. He nodded towards Nicole.

“Just-just say it before I pop a button.” Wynonna was almost kneeling on the ground with laughter.

The man stood without emotion and complied, his eyes glazing over. “My name is Xavier Dolls. My family’s job is—“

Wynonna interrupted with a loud, squeaking laugh. “Sorry, sorry go on.” Wynonna clamped a hand on her mouth.

“My family’s job is doll making.”

Wynonna broke loose and cackled into her hand with tears in her eyes, and Nicole let out a chuckle before Waverly gave her a stare.

“Well, I think that’s lovely.” Waverly replied, “Fitting for your family I guess, but you’ve certainly gone a different direction haven’t you.”

Dolls smiled and offered her a real handshake. “Yes, ma’am. Indeed.”

The two gave a firm handshake and the group dispersed, Dolls dragging Wynonna back towards the castle.

Nicole turned her head to the side. “What? It was funny. You know that was funny.” 

Waverly’s lip quivered but stopped it with a hand over her mouth. “It was kind of funny.” She crossed her arms and took off towards the garden with a giggling Nicole in tow.

NICOLE POV

When they reached the garden, the two sat on a bench positioned to face a row of vibrant flowers, the grit of the gravel below their feet. It was a beautiful day, and both were content to spend the remaining hours of daylight talking. They spread out on the bench and got comfortable.

“And my tour ends here. Behind you is the greenhouse. You know the one.” Waverly laughed.

Nicole let out a chuckle, “Yeah, I know the one.”

A comfortable silence followed, each of them listening to the birds sing and watching the leaves wrestle with the wind. Nicole pondered how the odds lined up to allow her to be matched with a girl she had met the day prior. Nedley had always used to talk about chance, and how there were no coincidences, even the smallest of them. Nicole smiled.

The two sat and talked about the castle, and laughed at Wynonna and her guard. They made guesses of how long he’d be able to stand her, or when he’d give in and run off to a faraway land just to escape her.

The sun was beginning to set by the time they decided to head back inside. Nicole walked Waverly back to her room, their footsteps echoing against the empty hallways, for everyone had already turned in for an early night.  
They stood outside of Waverly’s room and Nicole turned. “I bet you’re tired.”

“Yeah, my feet are killing me,” Waverly let out. “But I had fun today, Nicole.”

Nicole smiled one of her dimpled smiles that she could tell Waverly was now fond of. “Well, I shouldn’t keep you any longer. Goodnight, Your Highness.”

Waverly looked pleased and walked through the door. Noticing her job was over for the day, Nicole turned to walk back down the corridor towards the stairs. Halfway there, she heard a small voice call her name.

Nicole looked back. Waverly opened the door wider and yelled down the hallway.

“Please, call me Waverly.”

— 

Nicole retreated back to her room feeling giddy. Her assignment wouldn’t be as painful as she had been worrying about. They could actually be friends maybe, and for that, she was grateful.

Clambering into bed, Nicole was exhausted. They had wandered the castle all day. She hoped she didn’t wear the princess out by their tour and hoped she’d get enough rest tonight. Before blowing out the candle on her bedside table, Nicole stopped. She had totally forgotten.

_The files._

The redhead jumped out of bed and snatched Waverly’s file off her desk, crashing several things to the ground. She sat in her desk chair and opened it.

_[Princess Waverly Earp._

_Suspicious of escaping castle grounds at night. Door is left unlocked, signs of escaping through window under extra protection. Possible threat to the castle. No proven evidence collected….]_

The list continued and several eye witnesses’ accounts were scrawled onto different sheets of paper, all saying the same thing.

Waverly was accused of sneaking out and working against the crown.

_This can’t be true._

Nicole knew Waverly. There was no way the Waverly she had met today would ever betray her own family. Even while making fun of Wynonna, she had seen the look in the girl’s eye when she talked about her sister. There was no way she could do this.

Right?

Nicole hesitantly grabbed a set of clothes and hurriedly got dressed, grabbing her sword on the way out.

—

After a few hours of sitting outside of Waverly’s door listening for any signs of movement, Nicole thought of turning in. Maybe they were wrong about her. 

She picked at the bottom of the wooden frame which was starting to peel. _What I do know is that standing guard is boring as hell_.

It had to be nearing midnight when all of the sudden she heard a rustle come from inside of Waverly’s room. Nicole thought nothing of it until she heard a drawer shut.

_She’s up._

Nicole scrambled to hide in the darkness not touched by the hall torch’s faint glow. Waverly’s door creaked open and soon a hooded Waverly took off towards the other end of the hall. Nicole crept behind the wall, peering around the corner to see where she was going.

After seeing Waverly wasn’t in a position to see her, Nicole sprinted on her toes towards Waverly’s office, just in time to see Waverly disappear out of the window.

A rope had been left at the windowsill, intended to allow her access to and from the room. Nicole gaped down to where the rope met the ground.

Three stories. Nicole gulped.

She took the rope in hand and descended, not wanting Waverly to get too far ahead of her. She landed not so gracefully. The frustrated redhead gulped and took off towards Waverly, who she saw was sneaking towards the gardens, obviously avoiding the guards stationed at the castle doors.

Nicole began creeping along after her before she realized. _Wait a minute, I’m a guard._

She stalked up towards the guards stationed at the door and gave them a nod and allowing them to recognize her as a royal guard. Nicole didn’t mention anything about Waverly. She didn’t know why, just felt it in her gut.

Now free to wander without needing to hide, Nicole was able to catch up with the princess in time to see her climb into the back of a cart full of bags, a horse at the ready to trot away in the silence of the night.

She sprinted towards the cart as it began to move when Waverly spotted her.

“Nicole! What are you doing here?” she loudly whispered as Nicole caught up.

Nicole was running out of breath as the the cart sped up. “Just-just help me up.”

The hooded princess extended a hand, which Nicole took, and hauled her into the back of the cart. She landed on a bag and huffed a breath in.

“Explain.”

WAVERLY POV

Waverly drew her hood back and let a frustrated grunt escape. “You weren’t supposed to follow me.”

“You think?” Nicole exclaimed. “You suspiciously sneaked out and you’re wondering what I’m doing here?”

“That’s fair,” Waverly sighed and gathered her words. “Well, since you followed me all the way out here, I guess I owe you an explanation. You’ll find out more when we get there but we are delivering these bags,” Waverly gestured underneath them, “to townspeople who can’t afford food and medicine. There’s a whole part of town who are dying of starvation when our whole castle lives in luxury, so I’m doing my part to help physically since I can’t help them with my title.”

Nicole sat on a bag of carrots and listened with her mouth wide open.

Waverly continued. “We gradually take vegetables out of the kitchen’s supply. Enough for them to not notice any change in inventory. As for the herbs, Gus and I collect enough out of the castle’s supply. No one notices the herbs are gone.”

Nicole tried to keep up. “Gus. That’s what you were doing yesterday when we met, wasn’t it? You were helping her?”

Waverly nodded and pulled her hood up, slinging a blanket in Nicole’s direction.

“We’re here. Cover up and stay hidden. One person from the castle was suspicious enough.”

Nicole drew the blanket over her head, hiding her red mess of bed hair. 

Gus sighed as she saw Nicole’s face sticking through the folds of the blanket. “If you’re gonna tag along you better help with some of these bags.”

NICOLE POV

After they had hauled all of the bags out of the cart, they walked towards a small shack on the edge of town. The three women clapped their hands free of dirt and dust as Gus knocked on the wall of the shack.

A small head appeared behind the curtain, which seemed to be a substitute for a real door. The head emerged and revealed a little boy, no older than six.

“Princess Wave-ly!” the boy whispered, running to clutch onto Waverly’s cloak at her knees. 

Waverly grinned a big smile and picked the boy up, throwing him over her shoulder and spinning him around. “You’ve gotten so big, Francis.” Waverly set him down and ruffled his hair. “You have to tell me all about your trip to the coast sometime.”

A whole group of children burst through the curtain and stormed the princess, all taking turns in her arms as she spun them around. She knew all of them by name. Several adults emerged and hugged her too, tears in their eyes.

Nicole watched all of this with awe and felt a pang in her chest.

_They think she’s betraying her kingdom, when she’s really helping all of these people._

But most importantly, _They were wrong about her._

A few kids had wandered over to Nicole and asked her to pick them up like Waverly had. She complied and flung them into the air, catching them when they thought they were going to hit the ground. Swarms of kids attacked her pant legs, begging her to give them a turn. She made eye contact with Waverly and laughed.

They played for a while until Gus grabbed Nicole by the arm and took her over to introduce her to an older woman. “Mabel, this is Nicole. She’s been helping out a bit and I’d like for you to meet her.”

The old woman took both of Nicole’s hands and kissed them, tears swelling in her eyes. Turning Nicole’s hand over she placed in it a cloth doll, one that looked handmade. Nicole looked up and the woman gave a nod, mouthing _Thank you._

After they had said their goodbyes, and a lot of prying children off of their clothing, they took off in the cart back to the palace. Mabel would take care of distributing the bags amongst the community, so their part of the job was completed. 

Waverly and Nicole sat in the back of the cart giggling about the children and their wild behavior. Gus poked out of the driver’s seat every now and then to correct a name or give an extra fact about one of the families, a big smile on her face.

When they were back to the palace, Gus stepped onto the grass and helped the girls out of the cart. She took Waverly aside and patted her hand. “I know I don’t say it enough but thank you. You’re a princess and you don’t have to help but you do.” She gave each of them a hug and with that, she made her leave towards her own house.

Nicole looked back at Waverly with an apologetic look. “Listen, Your Highn-”

She paused, remembering what Waverly had said, “Listen, _Waverly_ ,” Nicole spoke hesitantly, but with Waverly’s supportive smile she continued, “I’m sorry I followed and mistrusted you. I shouldn’t have and I’m sorry.”

Waverly shook her head, “You were just doing your job. I understand.” 

Dawn was now approaching, the last remnants of moonlight scattering light off the water of the river nearby. A gentle paused passed between the two.

“But listen, Nicole. Promise me you won’t tell. This helps so many people.” 

Nicole nodded in support, “Of course, I promise.”

Waverly heaved a great sigh of relief until Nicole interrupted her. “Now promise me something.” Waverly looked over at her curiously.

Nicole looked at her with moonlight reflecting in her eyes. “Promise me that you won’t go out there alone. I can’t risk you getting hurt.” 

With Nicole’s concerned look boring into her, Waverly couldn’t help to comply. “Okay, I promise.”

Nicole relaxed and laughed at the thought of everything that’s happened. “I guess it really is time to say goodnight, huh? Let's head back.”

“About that," Waverly winced, "so how good are you at climbing rope?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!!


	3. Obstacles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly and Nicole spend the day getting to know more about each other, and an unexpected guest arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter but enjoy some fluff! Happy reading!
> 
> Chapter title: Obstacles by Syd Matters

NICOLE POV

Waverly and Nicole spent the majority of the next few days holed up in the library since Waverly hadn’t had any paperwork to do. Now that Gus's delivery was complete as well, Waverly’s time was spent doing the things she wished. The next day she had dragged Nicole up the stairs and into the library, asking her to pick out her favorite books. They had each put their favorites in a stack which kept their conversation going for hours. Today they had skipped lunch and asked for tea and snacks instead, which kept them sated for the meantime.

Waverly held up the book in her hand. “I think you’d really like this one, honestly.”

“You really think so?” Nicole questioned in an airy voice, hoarse from laughter.

The offended princess whacked her with the back of the book, which made Nicole laugh even harder, running out of breath.

Waverly had just been gushing over a silly romance novel that she picked out for Nicole to read. It was such a basic love story that Nicole was surprised Waverly, the bookworm, found to be one of the most profound novels in the whole library. Nicole found this fact _hilarious_.

Waverly eyed her, waving around her romance book. “I’m serious, there’s some good stuff in here.”

She took an angry bite out of a piece of bread and watched as Nicole shuffled through her stack, tears running down her face from laughter. “Then here, I’ll read that one if you read this.”

Waverly glimpsed at the title and pushed it back towards Nicole. “No, no way. No horror. Nope.”

Nicole frowned. “Scaredy cat, c’mon. No one gets eaten by monsters hidden in mountains, really. It’s _folklore_. It’s supposed to be fun.”

“How am I supposed to know? I've never been to the mountains.” 

Nicole set the book down and rested both of her elbows on her knees. “You’ve never seen the mountains?” 

Waverly shook her head.

“What about the beach?”

“Nope.”

“So you’re saying you’ve never even seen the ocean?”

“Nope. Not even a peek.”

Nicole gaped. “Have you ever wanted to see it? Or is it against palace rules or something?”

Waverly split another small loaf of bread and tossed a half in Nicole’s direction. “I’ve always wanted to see it, but honestly I’m kind of scared? I don’t know, it’s stupid—“

“You’re scared of the water.” Nicole chuckled around the piece of bread in her mouth.

“I mean, have you never read _Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea?_ I think my fear of the water is quite justified.”

“That’s a fantasy novel, Waverly.”

“Okay, _Captain Nemo_ ,” Waverly mocked, “tell me all about the ocean then.”

Nicole dove into a story about how her family took trips sailing across the sea to the island of Arcadia to the south of Wisteria, and how her father taught her to secure a bow line to the dock in record time. She felt her heart lift as she recalled memories from her childhood on the water. “It just felt right, you know. Sailing.”

“So why become a guard?”

“My brother. He used to get into a lot of trouble, and I’d seem to be the only one getting him out of it. People made fun of him for being curious about the world, so I learned how to defend him from it.”

Waverly picked a grape from their snack pile and plopped it in her mouth, listening thoughtfully. “How noble. And you just picked it up from there?”

Nicole nodded. “I wanted to be a traveling tradesman sailing the seas for so long I couldn’t even think of anything else I wanted to do with my life. But swordsmanship kind of took me by surprise.”

“Did your family approve?”

The redhead paused and played with the piece of bread between her fingers. Not wanting to bring the conversation down a dark path, Nicole skirted the answer. “They weren’t really around to judge.”

Nicole shuffled through the books next to her mindlessly, fingers wandering over the spines of the novels she’d picked out.

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry I brought it up.” Waverly’s face was full of guilt, and she reached out to comfort Nicole before drawing back out of hesitation.

“It’s fine, really. It was a long time ago,” Nicole quickly redirected the subject to Waverly, “So what about your family?”

Waverly was lost in thought for a moment while Nicole panicked, thinking she had pressured her into a conversation that the princess didn’t want to have.

“Well, you’ve met Wynonna. And she’s, you know, _Wynonna_ , but,” Waverly smiled, “she’s always there for me, and I’m really thankful to have her.”

Nicole smiled and urged Waverly to continue.

“As for Willa, she has something against me that I can’t quite place. Ever since we were little she’d play cruel pranks on me and try to start fights between me and my father. There was one time when I was young, she threw my stuffed animal onto a river that had just frozen over, the one down there by the garden,” Waverly pointed out the window. “When I was going to retrieve it I fell through the ice.”

Nicole exclaimed, “But that’s terrible! You were a child, you could’ve died.”

“Yeah, but she never got in trouble for it. Wynonna pulled me out of the ice and that was that. I had nightmares about it for a long time, though.”

Nicole mumbled about how awful Willa must be, but Waverly didn’t want to delve into that right now. “Nicole.”

The tone of the princess’s voice worried her. “Yeah, Waverly?”

“You haven’t told anyone about the delivery, have you?”

Nicole looked at her, almost offended. “Of course not. I promised.” She reached into her pocket and took out the doll the old woman had given her yesterday and played with its little arms, making it dance on her leg. “But Dolls did see this hanging out of my pocket, mumbling about how the stitches were out of line. He didn’t really question it though.”

Waverly gave Nicole a thankful smile.

Nicole changed the subject. “So what do you do in your free time? I know you like to read, but enlighten me.”

Snorting, Waverly drew her legs into her chest and replied, “I have actually too much free time. Which sounds nice until all you have is free time. I’ll read, mostly, but I’ve taught myself a lot of skills. Not like they’d ever be useful, really.”

“Like what?”

“Well, I can play several instruments. And I’ve learned a few languages—“

“A few? You’re lying, aren’t you.”

Waverly dipped her head. “Okay, six languages,” Nicole gaped. “but I’m only fluent in four.”

Nicole added, “And let me guess, maneuvering down a rope out of a three story building was your most recent lesson.”

Waverly narrowed her eyes and threw a grape at Nicole, hitting her in the chest. Nicole pretended to be hurt, clutching her heart dramatically and sliding down the wall to lie down on the cushions.

Waverly chuckled while Nicole was giggling against a pillow, face down. 

“This has been really fun, Nicole. I’m glad that I met you.”

Nicole sat up, color creeping up on her cheeks. She felt an emotion well up in her chest just then, just as she had felt last night during their delivery. Waverly was different from any other person she met, especially for a royal.

_I’m glad that I met you, too._

Waverly said something else, but Nicole was too distracted. Lost in thought, she pondered how lucky she was to be assigned to this woman. How lucky she was to be able to spend her job getting to know the youngest princess, full of so many dreams and by far the smartest person she'd ever met. She marveled at the way Waverly's lips moved as she spoke, oblivious of what she was saying. She marveled at the way her lips moved as she called her name. _Nicole._

"Nicole."

The dizzied woman shook her head, realizing Waverly was talking to her, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Before Waverly could respond, there was an appearance at the door. Without knocking Willa had let herself in, accompanied by a steely, armored guard. The armor he wore was a lot more formal than what Nicole was wearing, for she only wore casual uniform slacks and a loose blouse. Her sword belt was detached and sat next to her as she relaxed, but this guard’s belt held two giant broadswords and multiple knife blades attached at his waist.

Both Nicole and Waverly sat to attention.

“Father would like to see you, Waverly.” Willa stole a glance towards Nicole and eyed her up and down. It left Nicole with a bad taste in her mouth.

Nicole grabbed her sword and the two followed Willa out in the hall, leaving their stacks of books behind. The redhead shut the door behind them and turned around. Willa was staring at her.

“You can leave, you know. We’re just going to our father’s office, we can take this from here.” She motioned to her well equipped guard, who didn’t even bother introducing himself. 

Waverly motioned for Nicole to not worry. “I’ll catch up with you after?”

“Yeah, sure, just wait outside the office and wait for me, okay?” Waverly nodded. “I’ve gotta give Nedley a report, anyway.” Nicole gave the princess a knowing grin and descended the staircase, looking back to give Willa a glare over Waverly's shoulder.

WAVERLY POV

Willa and Waverly made their way down the stairs in silence, with the elder Earp's guard in tow. “Are you gonna tell me why he wants to see me?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

"Why did he send you in particular to come get me?" Waverly questioned her further.

Willa almost yelled back, "Why do you have so many questions?"

“Okay, hold up Willa! What’s the matter? Why are you—“ Waverly stopped walking and turned to Willa’s guard who was almost breathing down their necks. Waverly lashed out not so kindly. “Can you, like, give us some privacy here? It’s not like I’m gonna kabob my own sister.”

He shrugged and nodded, slowing down his speed to give them some space. 

Waverly calmed down a little. “Now, Willa, why are so mad at me all of the sudden? I know we haven’t had the best relationship, but won’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

“Listen, Waverly. I know you've been sneaking out of the castle at night, and I'm onto you. And now we have these dumb guard things following us around everywhere. It’s quite inconvenient, wouldn’t you say?” Willa spit out, not even sparing a look in Waverly’s direction.

Willa’s heels clicking against the floor agitated Waverly, making her grind her teeth. “Why do you care? They’re harmless. Unless—“

_Unless you've been sneaking out, too._

Waverly spoke softly, “Willa, you know what Mama used to say. Karma will always catch up to you.”

Willa gripped Waverly’s arm tightly and whirled her sister around to face her. They had reached their father's office door which had two guards stationed outside. 

“Well, _Waverly_ , it seems karma came for you first.”

Willa opened the door and sarcastically waved her in, glaring at her as Waverly crossed the threshold.

She was hesitant to speak at first. “Hello, Father.”

Ward Earp, the king donned in a mighty mantle and jewels, welcomed his daughter into his office. “Waverly, my dear, come sit."

He was in an undecipherable mood, which made Waverly wary. She complied and sat in a chair that was placed in front of his desk. She suddenly felt a wave of anxiety, her hands clutching onto her skirts tight enough to leave wrinkles. _I wish Wynonna was here._

Skipping pleasantries as usual, he got straight to the point. "It seems we have some unexpected visitors arriving at the castle.”

“Visitors?” Waverly questioned, intrigued.

The king placed his interlaced fingers on the desk in front of him and eyed Waverly, judging her reaction to what he was about to say. “Champ and his family are in town.”

Waverly’s eyes shot wide open. “Champ? Like Champ _Hardy?"_

“Yes, and he is here to see you, Waverly.”

NICOLE POV

Nicole knocked on her boss's door gently, listening to make sure he wasn’t in a meeting with anyone. She held Waverly’s file in her hands with an iron grip.

“You can come in, Haught.” Nicole let herself in and closed the door behind her. Nedley was seated at his desk eyeing some papers, the grey hairs rustled on the back of his head. “What do you need?”

Nicole slid Waverly’s file over to his side of the desk and drew up a chair. She gave a deep sigh before speaking. “These files, the accusations. They’re not true.”

Nedley’s eyebrow raised as he looked through the first few pages. 

“So you’re saying these eye witness accounts were a load of bologna.”

She shook her head, “No, but what I’m saying is that maybe these people had the wrong impression.” She pointed to a page with a name circled. “You see here? This gardener hadn’t been near the castle anytime during that whole month. I checked.”

Nedley flipped the file closed and sat back. “Cut the crap, Haught. You trust her, don’t you.”

_He saw straight through me._

Nicole sighed and gave in, “Listen, she’s not like what these files are making her out to be. She’s good. I just feel it in my gut. She would never do anything like _that_.” She motioned towards the papers full of treacherous accusations with her hand and blew a strand of hair out of her face in frustration.

Nedley sat there, looking into Nicole’s eyes. Not a half beat later he responded.

“I trust you.”

Nicole was taken aback. “You _trust_ me? Just like that?”

Nedley glared. “I thought we’ve been over the whole Nicole-Haught-prodigy-of-Wisteria thing. You’ve got talent, and I trust your judge of character more than anyone else’s.”

Nicole relaxed into her chair and almost slid off the wooden seat in relief.

“But.”

Nicole’s eyes flicked from the ceiling to her boss. “But what?”

“Trusting you doesn’t mean I can’t discredit eyewitness accounts. I’ll look through these again, but it doesn’t mean she’s off the hook anytime soon.”

Nicole nodded in understanding. “Of course. I understand that.”

Nedley’s eyes softened, “Then you’re dismissed, Haught. Thanks for bringing this to my attention,” he motioned at the files with her handwriting covering the pages. “Have a good night.”

“You too, sir.”

She smiled and made her way to the door, closing it softly behind her.

—

Nicole made her way across the castle towards the king’s office where she meant to check in with Waverly. It seems Nicole did all she could to do convince Nedley to drop the suspicions surrounding her. She thought of the small princess and smiled, thinking of the time they’d spent together today and all the fun they'd had.

Noticing the lack of guards outside of the office, she turned on her heel and walked back down the corridor. They must have already finished talking.

Nicole winced, hoping the king didn't scold her or have any insane tasks to load on her shoulders. What was the meeting about then? And wasn't Waverly was supposed to wait outside the office to wait for her? Was she in trouble—or danger?

_Was Waverly okay?_

Gripping the hilt of the sword strapped to her belt, Nicole took off in the direction of Waverly’s room but stopped after a few steps which echoed off the empty corridor walls. 

_Why was she hurrying?_

Waverly is her job. A princess that she has been tasked with protecting. Her assignment, that's all.

_Right?_

Nicole shook these thoughts from her mind and settled on walking at a moderate pace.

Passing down another hallway, Nicole heard laughter rising up from the direction of the grand hall. She thought she heard the sound of Waverly's voice and stopped. 

She took a peek into the room through the great oak door, and there she saw the princess. Nicole huffed a sigh of relief and entered the room, attracting Waverly's attention.

As the redhead looked around the room, she saw some familiar faces but also some unfamiliar. The king, Willa, Wynonna, and Waverly stood on one side of the room greeting newcomers, Nicole realized. She approached Waverly’s side.

The princess grabbed her arm with a smile. “There you are, Nicole. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

A man about Nicole’s own age stepped forward from the group and offered her a hand to shake. “Hey there, I’m Champ. Champ Hardy.”

_Champ? What kind of name—_

“You must be Nicole, her personal guard.” He said it as if it was a joke, which rubbed Nicole the wrong way. _Nice first impression, asshole._

“Um, yeah, that’s me.” Nicole responded with a tight smile, shaking his hand with more strength than what was probably appropriate. “So, uh,” she looked down at Waverly with a questioning look, “What’s the occasion for visitors? The celebratory ball isn’t supposed to happen for several weeks, right?”

The king answered for her, “Yes, however, Champ and his family have arrived at the castle earlier than initially planned.” The king walked to Nicole’s side, opposite of Waverly, and spoke softly so only she could hear, “And it has come to my attention that he intends to court my daughter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know whatcha think :O
> 
> Note: _Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea_ was first published in 1870, however the time period of this fic is intended to predate the author. I'm sorry for the timeline plot hole but had to give Jules Verne a shoutout because I enjoy his stories so much.


	4. Happier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The arrival of Champ makes Nicole rethink her intentions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Class has started back, so updates will not be as regular as usual. I'm trying to stick to a schedule so hopefully I can update often though :)
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Chapter title: Happier by Marshmello (I thought this was v appropriate)

_The king answered for her, “Yes, however, Champ and his family have arrived at the castle earlier than initially planned.” The king walked to Nicole’s side, opposite of Waverly, and spoke softly so only she could hear, “And it has come to my attention that he intends to court my daughter.”_

WAVERLY POV

The king had pulled aside Nicole to speak in the hallway, which left his daughters to entertain Champ and his family. Well, just Wynonna and Waverly since Willa took off because she “had better things to do.”

Wynonna smiled and bent down to talk to her sister, speaking out of the corner of her mouth. “Waverly, why don’t you go catch up with Champ. I’ll handle the folks until Father gets back, they’re about to croak anyway.”

Waverly elbowed Wynonna and took Champ by the arm, excusing themselves from the room. She glanced back to give her older sister one last stare. _Behave_.

NICOLE POV

The king closed the door behind them and stalked to the window in the corridor, motioning for Nicole to follow. She hoped he wouldn’t notice how pale she’d gotten.

He turned to her, the low light reflecting in his eyes. “Listen very carefully. Champ Hardy is a family friend. And like I said before, he is in town to court Waverly.” He sighed, “Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t try any funny business. I don’t trust him.”

Nicole read between the lines immediately. “So you don’t want him to court her at all. What if Waverly starts to feel something for him?”

The king raised his eyebrows at her tone and hardened his voice. “She won’t. He’s different now than how she knew him when they were children. I’ve heard rumors of his unruly behavior. A pity, really.” He almost spat the last sentence.

Nicole pushed, uneasy at his intentions. “Then why not tell her now?”

Instantly, she regretted saying anything at all.

“ _Remind me again,_ ” he stepped forward towards Nicole with a raised voice, “why it is in your right to tell me how to handle my own daughter.”

Nicole stood shocked and bowed her head, realizing her mistake.

“He’s a fool and from a poor family, and I need my daughter to marry someone to help the crown. Now follow them from a distance and do your damn job.”

WAVERLY POV

“So Wynonna’s the same as she’s always been,” Champ laughed.

Waverly giggled. “Yeah, she hasn’t changed one bit since we were little, hasn’t she?”

She and Champ walked out of the room through the great oak doors and saw Nicole. The king had walked off behind them to lead the parents to their guest chambers. Nicole looked up from a trance and placed her hands behind her back, her gaze somewhere above their heads. Waverly smiled and waved for Nicole to follow them, but to Waverly’s disappointment, Nicole kept her distance behind them instead of walking side by side like they always did. A troubled look was stuck on her guard’s face, but before she could ask what was wrong, Champ had taken her arm and pulled her away. 

The sun was setting and the last rays of light filled the corridors, leaving a nostalgic presence throughout the halls. Waverly thought of the childhood she’d spent with Champ and smiled. The two of them, running through the castle, chasing each other and laughing. Wynonna making fun of Champ for losing to Waverly at board games too many times. The nights they’d all spent telling stories in the dark with only a candle lit in the center. 

So many memories flooded back to Waverly. It made her miss the carefree childhood they’d had before she and her sisters were deemed old enough to take responsibility for royal affairs. Since then she’d been alone. Now that Champ was back, their old memories and dreams seemed possible again. She momentarily forgot about Nicole who was looking at her from a distance.

“Do you remember this? Waverly held up a bracelet she’d kept on her since she was little. It was a trinket he’d made her when they were small, and it was one of her most prized possessions.

“Oh, yeah. Cool.” To her disappointment, he waved aside Waverly’s outstretched arm in annoyance and changed subjects. “So what do you do around here these days? Anything important?”

The dig at her position made her blink. “I, uh, have duties sometimes. Mostly I just help out around the castle.”

He nodded and took his lower lip between his teeth, looking off ahead of them. His reaction made Waverly feel guilty, so she asked him about his family and his hobbies, in which he instantly lit up and dove into stories.

She smiled and laughed with him but failed to notice how her own smile never quite reached her eyes.

NICOLE POV

Nicole stalked along behind the two, keeping her distance. Waverly and Champ continued a cheerful discussion, the two of them smiling and laughing and playfully poking each other and joking. Nicole noticed how Waverly’s eyes crinkled and lit up when she talked about their past and felt a weight in her chest.

Why did she ever think she could befriend a princess? Waverly was so far beyond her station that she felt embarrassed. She came here to do a job, but she was trying to make friends. _With a princess._

Nicole stared at her own shoes as she walked. She didn’t want to make eye contact with Waverly and reveal how disappointed she was in herself.

WAVERLY POV

After almost an hour of mindless chatter, the sun had set. A young hallboy had come to light the torches in the corridors as they made circles around the castle. As the last light of the sun disappeared from outside the windows, Champ turned. “It’s getting late. But I would like to see you tomorrow?”

“Right, yeah,” Waverly smiled. “Tomorrow.”

Champ bent and retrieved her wrist from her side and gave the back of her hand a light kiss, making eye contact with Waverly. A blush turned her cheeks a light pink. “Tomorrow,” she repeated.

He gave her one last smile and turned the corner.

Waverly giggled and hid her face in her hands. “I can’t believe he’s here, it’s just been so long. And we grew up together, you know, it’s so good to see him again and I—“ She turned to face Nicole, but the redhead’s face was devoid of response. 

“Nicole, are you alright?” Waverly asked, turning concerned.

Nicole didn’t budge her steely position, but her eyes filmed up with some emotion she couldn’t decipher. “It’s getting late. I’ll walk you back to your room.”

The brunette hesitantly agreed, starting towards her room. But to her disappointment, Nicole kept her distance as she had earlier. Waverly glanced back over her shoulder and found Nicole lost in thought with her head down. She wanted to reach out to her, but turned away instead.

They walked the rest of the way back in silence.

NICOLE POV

After dropping Waverly off at her door with only a bow, she half ran back to her own room. As soon as she closed the door, she felt the tears in her eyes threaten to spill but she willed them back. Her chest stung and she could hear the blood rushing in her ears.

She was so ashamed. How much of a fool she’d probably seen in front of the others, in front of _the king._

But he was right. From now on, she’d do her job and stay out of the princess’s affairs. She’d build a wall and have it sit between the two of them for the rest of her time as Waverly’s guard. Her only worry from now on would be for the princess’s safety.

After a quick wash, she collapsed onto her bed and made a promise to herself to not lose sight of her intended job.

—

The next day, she met Waverly at her door and brought her to the breakfast room without a word. She’d given meager response to Waverly’s perky “Good morning!” as she always had. Waverly’s smile had drifted away and Nicole almost felt sorry for hurting her feelings.

By the time Waverly had finished her breakfast, a maid had come to give Waverly a piece of paper with her duties listed. It was a list of people she’d write letters to, inviting them to the ball coming up in a few weeks. She had actual work to do today. Nicole thanked the universe for giving a distraction to their usual leisurely plans.

Waverly seemed used to Nicole’s now rigid demeanor and led her up to her office, where she immediately sat at her desk and grabbed a quill. She seemed equally as thankful for the work as Nicole.

The guard sat in her chair in the corner of the room, her head leaned back, and watched Waverly’s quill move across her paper in a trance.

After a while of monotonous scrawling, Waverly’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she looked over to Nicole. She waved a hand in her direction to attract her attention and Nicole sat up.

“Hey, uh, can I ask you something?” Waverly’s eyes moved to her paper. “I know you’re not feeling well or something, but could you go get an errand boy to send a message?”

Nicole turned concerned by the rattled look on Waverly’s face. “Yeah, what happened?”

The princess turned her piece of paper to where Nicole could see it. “It seems like my father is inviting Bobo Del Ray to the ball.”

Nicole’s eyes widened. “Who?”

“The infamous drug dealer. Robert Svane.”

NICOLE POV

Nicole sent for the errand boy who brought them not a message, but the king himself. He dismissed the boy but motioned for Nicole stay. This sign of trust made Nicole beam.

“I know you’re wondering why I have invited Bobo, and it is strictly for strategic purposes.”

Waverly eyes widened in disbelief. “Strategic purposes? He’s like, a killer. And sells illegal drugs. That also kill people.”

The king ignored her sarcasm and sighed. “As upsetting as it is, our kingdom has to make peace with the head dealers. Our strategists think this will decrease the crime rate.” He turned to Waverly. “It’s one night. It’s worth a shot.”

This didn’t calm either of their worries, but Waverly nodded. She knew there wasn’t anything the princess could do to talk him out of it, but it didn’t stop Nicole from worrying about everything that could go wrong.

“I’ll take care of the letter to Bobo, just finish the rest.” He grabbed the paper from Waverly that she held out to him and made his leave.

After he closed the door, Waverly leaned back in her chair and sighed. “This is so weird.” She put her head in her hands.

“That the king is inviting a criminal to the ball? Yeah, a little.”

They both sat in thought for a while, until Waverly perked up, remembering her duties, and began scribbling invitations again.

After finishing the rest of the letters, Waverly shook her hand in exhaustion and stood up. Nicole sat up too, ready for a change in scenery. It had been hours of sitting in the office.

Waverly turned to her, apologetic. “I’m going to see Champ.”

“Oh, right.”

Nicole followed Waverly down the hallways to Champ’s room, who picked up Waverly and spun her around, making Nicole uncomfortable seeing how he handled her so roughly. 

The two spent the afternoon together with Nicole on their heels. Champ was growing impatient with the stories Waverly told, and Nicole began to notice. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how quick his responses were, and the more she realized how often the topic changed from Waverly to Champ.

They walked down to the dining room and had a boisterous meal, the Earps and Hardys recalling stories from earlier days. As much as Champ rubbed her the wrong way, Nicole was happy to see Waverly smile.

She noticed Wynonna had grown happier too. She adored the way Waverly found something new to keep her occupied, even though Nicole knew that Wynonna didn’t care for Champ either. She noticed Wynonna’s line of sight lock with the person next to her. Nicole looked over at Dolls who stood as still as a statue. Almost thinking she imaged it, a small wink overcame his features, which was sent in Wynonna’s direction. When she saw Wynonna look down with a goofy smile on her face, Nicole grew curious.

She elbowed him playfully. “What’s with you and Wynonna, huh?”

“Nothing. Just a guard and a princess.”

Nicole laughed at the irony in that.

“You know she’s married right?” Nicole replied.

Dolls gave a long sigh. “Yeah.” The stars in his eyes when he looked at Wynonna didn’t really help his case.

After dinner, Nicole followed Champ and Waverly back to their respective rooms. She kept the awkward distance between them, which was starting to grow boring. She was so used to the princess’s companionship that she had forgotten the dread of having a boring assignment.

Suddenly, the sound of a window shattering broke Nicole from her thoughts.

_Oh, the irony._

Waverly and Champ paused and stared at Nicole, who immediately shot her head in the direction of the noise. What was happening?

A thunder of footsteps erupted from one end of the corridor, out of sight. Nicole panicked. She found a wooden door in the hall and waved at the princess to follow. “Hurry!”

The princess hurried inside and Nicole took the brief satisfaction of shoving Champ quite harshly inside after her.

After they were all inside, she quietly shut the door, praying it was softly enough not to alert anyone to their location. She stuck her ear to the door and listened, hearing hushed voices outside. 

Champ disrupted her concentration. “What the hell is going on?”

Nicole shot daggers through the darkness of the room in his direction. “Hush!”

The wood felt rough against her ear as she crept as close to the sound as possible. The voices had stopped. Nicole closed her eyes and prayed that whoever it was, that they had gone in another direction.

She felt Waverly’s presence next to her against the door, also listening for any footsteps. The smaller woman was facing her, and she could feel her alarmingly quick breath against her arm. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” Nicole whispered in the dark.

She felt Waverly’s hair fall on her arm in a nod. They stood there in silence for what felt like hours. 

Nicole broke through the stillness, readying herself to scout the hallway. “I think they’re gone.”

She gently moved Waverly behind her, keeping a hand on her arm. “I’m gonna go check, okay?”

Nicole placed a hand against the door handle and slowly pushed against the wood. A trickle of torch light flooded in from the crack in the door. She turned and saw that they had been hiding in a supply closet. 

She looked down at Waverly and spoke softly. “I’ll be right back. Stay with Champ and don’t leave until I tell you it’s safe, okay?”

Waverly nodded, but before Nicole could step outside, the princess pulled her back by the sleeve in worry. “Just be careful.”

Nicole assured her with a small nod and creaked open the door another inch. She peeked through and saw the hallway abandoned. Exhaling, she made her way through the door, and to Waverly’s dismay, closing it behind her.

The guard drew her sword from its sheath at her side and cautiously continued down the corridor, alternating from looking behind her to seeing where she was going. The sound of footsteps approached her and she readied her sword, standing in fighting position. She stole a look back to make sure the supply closet door was still shut, but it had opened a crack. _She’s going to get herself killed._

Nicole rounded the corner before the approaching intruder could find her first, but found a panting Wynonna instead. 

Exhaling and sheathing her sword, she hissed, “Wynonna! What is going on?” 

She stood with her hands on her knees to control her breathing, and Nicole spotted creases in her dress from handling it as she ran. Her hair was a mess, strands hanging in wild directions.

Dolls ran up to them, panting. “I told you to not run off like that!”

Wynonna responded between pants. “I-It’s all about th-the chase right.” 

Waverly and Champ caught up to them from behind, Champ looking over his shoulder the whole time to make sure they weren’t being followed. 

“What just happened?” Waverly said, worry lines forming on her forehead. She had latched onto Wynonna, who was still catching her breath. She looked to Nicole for support, but was matched with harsh look.

Dolls collected himself and also sheathed his sword. “There was an attack. Just some townspeople that broke in. We don’t know why.”

Nicole furrowed her brows in confusion. “But, don’t we have extra security? It’s almost impossible to break in.”

That’s where Dolls grew serious, the look on his face growing grim. “That’s the thing. It isn’t possible.”

Nicole finished his thought. “Unless there’s someone on the inside.”

—

A meeting had been called to collect all royals and guests. Another meeting had been called for guards. A few of them had stayed behind to monitor the other meeting and to watch the grounds, but the majority of the entire guard stood in their meeting room.

Nedley’s voice boomed over the hushed whispers of the guard. “There’s been a minor intrusion here in the castle.”

Everyone hushed immediately. 

“No one was hurt and nothing was stolen, but it is alarming how one townsperson was able to break into an impenetrable castle, hm?” His voice lifted in a question, but no one dared to answer. 

Nicole looked over at Dolls, who shared her concerned look.

“There is word of a mole that facilitated this attack. If anyone has any knowledge of what happened, come by my office immediately. Now go back to doing your damn jobs correctly this time. Royal guard stay in here for a minute.”

WAVERLY POV

Waverly gripped Wynonna’s arm as they were shuffled into the great hall along with other officials and guests, including Champ’s family.

The king gave a quick rundown of what happened, but all of his words went in one ear and out the other. _Attack. Intruder. Danger._ Wynonna kept an arm wrapped around Waverly and used the other one to softly pat her arm. 

An attack like this hadn’t happened in a very long time. She knew there were tensions among the kingdom and with others, but she hadn’t expected something like this to actually _happen._

Soon enough, everyone was dismissed back to their rooms. Wynonna gave Waverly a rundown of what the meeting was about, noticing how Waverly had spaced out the whole time. Rules had been put in place for extra security.

Earlier curfews, extra guards on duty, a guard sleeping in each of the royal family’s rooms.

Waverly whipped around to Wynonna, “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, the ginger is sleeping in your room. Guess we all get bunk beds now?”

Waverly sighed, “But—“

Wynonna perked up at Waverly’s apprehension. “What? Has she been mean to you? Because I _will_ turn her into a—“

“No, Wynonna.” Waverly placed a calming hand on Wynonna’s arm which was raised in the air. “She’s just been, I don’t know, distant lately.”

Wynonna rolled her eyes. “Here comes the reason.”

Champ had wandered through the crowd and found them. “There you are, Waverly.” He turned to Wynonna. “I’m stealing her for a minute.”

Wynonna gave a sarcastic smile at him and hiked back to her room for the night. Champ took Waverly roughly by the arm and dragged her across the room. Waverly winced and snagged her arm back from his tight grip. “Champ, what the hell?”

He was too busy looking over her shoulder to listen. “Listen, Waverly. I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but I’ve gotta leave. My parents and I are leaving tonight.” He looked into her eyes. “Come with us.”

Waverly paled. “What?”

“Come with us, you can play princess at our place. I mean, you don’t really have any serious duties, right?” He licked his lips. “Come home with me and we’ll get married and you’ll live the dream that you—“

Waverly stopped him with a hand. 

“What the _fuck_ did you say to me?”

Champ pleaded with his eyes and dropped down on one knee, grabbing her hand. “Please, Waverly.”

She snatched her hand back and stared at him in disbelief.

“You’ve been playing with me this whole time.” She scoffed, eyes brimming with tears. “You don’t want me. You just want my title.” Her voice broke at the last word.

“No, baby, listen.” Champ reached for her hands again, but she’d backed away. 

“Go home, Champ.” She spat. “And don’t come back.”

Enraged, he made a move to strike at Waverly, but stopped himself. She stared at him incredulously, daring him to act. His face scrunched up in anger and hurried off in the opposite direction.

Waverly collapsed in tears, mourning the loss of a friend. They’d been best friends as children, but now everything had changed. _He_ had changed. 

And maybe she had, too.

—

Now that it was fully nighttime, Waverly made her way back to her room. She was surely going to be reprimanded by Nicole for being away so long after their meetings, but she needed time to think. 

A footman suddenly ran up to Waverly and asked her to follow him to the king’s room. Waverly felt a shock of fear run through her. Champ had told on her.

She nervously followed the man up to the king’s door. It opened immediately and she entered. Her knees were shaking. She needed to sit down.

By the look on the king’s face, she had every right to be afraid.

“Waverly.”

She sat on a chair by the fireplace in his room and bowed her head, ready for any punishment.

“Look at me.” His soft voice threw her. She complied.

He stood with his hands behind his back. Despite his soft voice, his posture was tense. “I didn’t want you to marry him. He’s poor and doesn’t have anything to provide to this family. He and his parents have left the castle.”

Waverly sighed, almost tearing up in relief. “But.”

She sat with her head in her hands, but all of the sudden she felt the air rush out of her lungs in anticipation. She looked up hesitantly.

The air grew cold as his voice raised. “If you _ever_ have the audacity to scare off one of our guests again, I will have you thrown in the dungeons for embarrassing our family.” 

His voice roared. “And make no mistake. As soon as I have found a willing and notable match, I will marry you off and you will have no say.” He walked towards her. “You will not disobey my orders. _Do you understand me?”_

Waverly nodded in fear, flinching away from his looming form.

“Now, get out.”

Waverly nearly sprinted out of the room, hustling her skirts in her hand and running away as fast as she could. The tears in her eyes blurred her vision, but she just kept running.

NICOLE POV

Nicole stood outside of Waverly’s room, unsure of whether to enter or to wait for Waverly to get back. They’d told her she was required to stay in Waverly’s room for the time being for extra protection against intruders, so she’d brought her meager possessions in a bag. 

After a while of waiting, she was growing worried. It was nighttime; she should be back already. 

She sat her bag down and checked her office across the hall. She wasn’t there, either. Nicole ran a hand through her hair and looked out the window. Below, she could see a silhouette sitting on the bench in the gardens.

Sighing, Nicole closed her eyes and cursed at the deja vu she felt as she threw the rope sitting on the ledge out the window. With a roll of her eyes, she descended the same rope she had the first night Waverly had snuck out. Instead of sneaking around like she had that night, she made straight for Waverly.

She was about to lecture the princess about her safety, but she heard sniffling come from her direction. Nicole gently sat herself next to Waverly and placed a hand on her back.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Nicole said in the softest voice she could muster.

Waverly tearfully looked up into Nicole’s eyes. All of the boundaries Nicole had tried to put between them instantly fell. She grabbed Waverly and pulled her into a hug.

The princess erupted into tears and dampened Nicole’s uniform shirt at the shoulder. Nicole soothingly rubbed circles into Waverly’s back and murmured “It’s okay.” over and over.

After a few minutes of crying, Waverly sat back and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands. “I’m sorry.”

Nicole clutched her hand. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” She moved a lock of hair behind Waverly’s ear. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

The princess pondered the question for a while, but shook her head. Nicole nodded in understanding.

“Well, do you want to hear something funny?”

Waverly responded with a weak nod.

Nicole giggled as she talked. “You know the rope you used to escape that one time? That’s how I got here. Same rope burn.” She held out her hands and Waverly’s lip turned up at the memory.

Nicole smiled at the small progress. “Let’s get you back to your room, okay?”

She took the princess by the hand and walked her to her room, opting for the stairs instead of the rope this time.

When they reached her door, Waverly noticed Nicole’s bag. “Oh, I forgot. You’re sleeping in my room, aren’t you?”

“Uh, yeah, if that’s okay with you.”

Waverly whispered in response, her voice grave. “Royal orders.”

Nicole was troubled at her words as Waverly entered the room, who left it open for Nicole to come inside this time. 

Nicole looked around as Waverly started to get ready for bed, opting out of a bath at this late hour of the night. Her room was as tidy as Nicole’s. Furniture filled the room, and lots of books and trinkets lined the tables, but everything was neatly in order. She noticed a couple of instrument cases in the corner of the room.

Waverly hopped into bed, offering one of the many blankets covering the main bed cover. She noticed Nicole’s curiosity of her collection of blankets.

She sniffled and shrugged. “I get cold.”

Nicole grinned in amusement and accepted the blanket, making her way over to the couch, which was faced away from the bed. She settled herself on the couch, the cushion more comfortable than it looked. Her eyes grew tired as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Before she could drift off to sleep, she heard a soft voice drift through the silence.

“Champ left.”

Nicole opened her eyes and swallowed. “Are you okay?”

Waverly sighed, “Yeah, he’s just not the man he once was. I was excited at first, but he has changed. I was too stuck in the past.”

Silence followed. Nicole could hear uneven breathing coming from Waverly.

“But it’s not that.”

Nicole offered a sound of encouragement from her place on the couch.

“My father called me. H-he said I would have no choice next time.” Waverly began sniffling again.

Nicole sat up on her elbows, listening intently.

Waverly continued in a broken voice. “But, you know that’s what happens to girls like me?” She took a heavy breath. “I get married off, captured for ransom, sold off—“ She sighed. “I won’t ever have any choice."

Waverly broke down into sobs and curled in on herself in her bed. 

Nicole shot up and hurried around to her side of the bed and made her sit up. “Hey, Waverly. Waverly, look at me, okay? Look at me.” She settled on her knees in front of her.

She was able to pry Waverly’s hands away from her shoulders, which were clawing at her skin. Her nails left red streaks down her soft skin which made Nicole’s eyes prickle.

“Listen.”

Waverly calmed down a little and looked up at Nicole.

“I will _never_ let anything happen to you.” She spoke with such conviction, looking into each of Waverly’s eyes in turn. Those words were enough to calm her down, the quickness of her breath decreasing. The princess closed her eyes, tears slipping out, and nodded.

Nicole drew her in for a hug and grasped her so tightly she thought she might strangle Waverly. The walls she’d built around herself had tumbled down, and she cursed at how stupid she’d been to block Waverly out.

Against her better judgement, Nicole placed a chaste kiss on Waverly’s forehead and stepped back. Waverly gazed up at Nicole with a teary smile.

They exchanged goodnights and both fell into a comfortable sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Shoves Champ out the window_
> 
> Anyway, now that that's over with. BOBOOOOOOOOOOOOO my boi
> 
> Working on limiting the change in POVs bc I know it's often :) Thanks for reading!


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